


I've Got You Under My Skin

by Suukarin



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - 50s, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-07-28
Packaged: 2018-01-26 23:51:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1707104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suukarin/pseuds/Suukarin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The original prompt: "Gemshipping post-WWII Greaser AU. TKB “Bakura” is an auto mechanic drop out who jacks cars for a living. Ryou is a Japanese exchange student for the mathematics program at Northeastern, whose host family’s car gets stolen, and he knows who it is." (Series of connected drabbles.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“You’ve got a lot of guts, comin’ here on your own.”

Ryou tightly grips the cuffs of his jacket’s sleeves, but says nothing, not to that.

“’Course, you’re not as much of a pushover as you look, huh?” Bakura drawls, leaning back in his chair, feet propped on the card table as he twirls the combination wrench on his finger. “A ‘fraidy cat like you comin’ to _find_ me, on your own… What gave me away, anyway?”

Wordlessly, Ryou reaches into his pocket, and holds out a gold Ouroboros ring.

“Give me that!!”

Before Bakura can snatch it from his hand, Ryou clenches his fist, pulling it away quickly.

“I want you to give us back the car, Bakura,” he says, the firmness of his voice hiding his terror. “We need it back.”

“I’m doin’ you a _favor,_ taking that hunk-a-junk off your hands,” Bakura snaps, turning in his chair to squarely face Ryou. “I mean, I’m doin’ myself a favor too, but _you—_ ”

“Just tell me where it is, Bakura!” Ryou cries out, pale face twisted into something not quite a scowl. “Or I will call the police and tell them that you are the one that’s been stealing cars!”

He questions the wisdom of his words only after Bakura rises to his feet, looming over him.

“You think I’m gonna let that happen?” he snarls, the wrench he’d been twirling now tightly gripped in his hand. “In case you forgot, you came to my garage, _alone. At night._ In a part of town you’ve never been. You ain’t in Kansas anymore, kid; give me one good reason I should let you leave here at all.”

Ryou pales, and tries to shrink into nothingness — but something in him forces him to stand tall, to return Bakura’s glare with a hard look of his own.

“I am not afraid of you,” he growls, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

Bakura recoils a bit — blinks once, twice — then, despite himself, cracks a sly grin.

“Are you really that brave? Or are you just crazy?” he asks, unable to keep the laugh from his voice.

Ryou is silent, keeping his hard expression, waiting.

“…alright. Fine. Tell you what,” Bakura shrugs, his shoulders dropping as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his red leather jacket. “I’ll drop your family’s car off, right where I left it. I’ll even fix it up, so it’s not such a death trap. On two conditions.”

“…what are they?” Ryou asks, hesitantly allowing himself to relax.

“One, you give me back my damn ring,” Bakura begins, only a trace of bitterness in his voice.

“And the second?”

At this, Bakura’s lips twist into a smirk.

“You let me come and pick you up from North on Friday, and take you out on the town.”

For all his self-control, Ryou can’t stop himself from sputtering in shock.

“Wh-Why would you want to do that?” he brings himself to ask.

“Hey, hey, I didn’t say you could ask _why!_ ” Bakura huffs, frowning. “But those are my terms. Take it or leave it.”

Ryou hesitates, looking uncertainly into Bakura’s eyes, not sure if he can trust the thief’s words.

But eventually, he holds his hand out, uncurling his fist to reveal the ring once more.

“Excellent,” Bakura grins, reaching out to grab his ring. “I’ll see you on Friday, then. Oh, and…”

“Hm?”

Bakura’s grin fades for a brief moment, but is quickly replaced by a faint smirk as he slides the ring onto Ryou’s finger.

“…hang onto that for me until then.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Mara: have TKB pick Ryou up from school in a stolen car  
>  Mara: and then they go to the beach and have their Grease moment_
> 
> _(Or, "In Which Suukarin Reveals She's Actually Never Seen Grease, Oops")_

“Sand is getting into my hamburger…”

“Guess that really makes it a sandwich, huh?”

Ryou rubs his forehead, sighing loudly as Bakura grins, wiggling his bare toes deeper into the sand.

This isn’t really what he had in mind when Bakura told him they were going “out on the town.” And he won’t fool himself —Ryou felt his classmates staring as he approached Bakura, leaning against yet another car that wasn’t actually his. ( _“Psht, they won’t even notice it’s gone.”_ )

But it was nice, not having to walk home alone again — and Bakura’s suggestion to sit on the beach, guaranteed to be practically empty this time of year…

Ryou shifts against the sand a little more, taking another bite of his burger, enjoying the sound of water splashing against the sand.

“S’not much reason to come down here before summer, except to be alone,” Bakura shrugs, glancing over at Ryou briefly before looking out at the ocean. “Hardly anyone ever comes out here before then…”

“I like it like this,” Ryou responds, after swallowing the food in his mouth. “I was afraid you were going to take me somewhere loud… But this is relaxing. Thank you, Bakura.”

Ryou doesn’t notice the way Bakura glances at him out of the corner of his eye, but does look over as he hears the other one sigh.

“Well, don’t get too used to it,” the dark-skinned man huffs. “Because next time, I’m takin’ you to do something bigger. Like bowling. Or maybe a movie—”

“‘Next time’?” Ryou repeats, brow furrowed in confusion. “I thought this was a single event. That was what we agreed on, yes?”

Ryou doesn’t notice the way Bakura’s hands clench into fists against the sand.

“I… Yeah. I _guess_ that’s what we agreed on,” Bakura grumbles, looking away from Ryou.

“Then, I—”

“Well — at least, what we agreed on for me to _return_ the car.”

Bakura turns back to look at Ryou again, a self-satisfied glimmer in his eyes.

“You wanna _keep_ it, though, you’re gonna have to agree to let me pick you up again,” he declares, grinning.

“Wh— that’s no fair, Bakura!” Ryou protests, face twisted into something not quite like a scowl. “You did not say anything about this before.”

“Well, that’s my new offer — you don’t have to take me up on it,” Bakura shrugs, leaning back to prop himself up on his elbows. “But you know what’s gonna happen to that car if you don’t. I didn’t bother fixin’ the locks.”

Ryou huffs, almost throwing his mostly-eaten burger at Bakura — but stopping himself at the last minute, instead deciding to glare angrily at the shoreline.

“…what day?” he finally asks, sighing in defeat.

“You don’t do anything important on Wednesdays, right? Let’s do it then.”

“My classes run later on Wednesdays.”

“I ain’t gonna be in any rush~”

Ryou looks over at Bakura, hearing the other man hum a bit, very faintly.

“…why do you want me to spend time with you so much?” he asks.

Bakura grows silent, and Ryou sees the light smile on his face harden into a scowl.

“S’not important _why_ ,” he growls, kicking away the sand around his feet as he sits back up. “…’sides, s’not like I’m _actually_ forcing you to do this if really don’t wanna, now am I? S’just a car, after all.”

Ryou studies the look on Bakura’s face, then briefly glances down at his hands, and at the gold ring still wrapped around one finger.

“I suppose not,” he agrees, taking another bite of his burger.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prince Shotakura: I have no idea because it's a fantastic au and we need to know what happens between them_  
>  Prince Shotakura: what is going to happen on Wednesday Suuka  
> Prince Shotakura: where is this going to go  
> Suukarin: they're gonna go see godzilla  
> Suukarin: in a drive-in theater 

_“So, they believe that this ‘Godzilla’ is responsible for all the ship disasters?”_

_“They’re certain of it!”_

Ryou squirms a bit in his seat, but never once breaks his gaze away from the screen.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually _enjoying_ this part of the movie,” Bakura grumbles, slouching a bit further in his seat, foot pressing lightly against the brake as he does so.

“Did you think I would not?” Ryou asks, still watching intently. “I am enjoying this. I wonder how much they changed when they made it in English.”

Bakura groans a bit, rolling his head back.

“Lemme know when Godzilla comes back and starts destroying everything again, will ya?” he says, arms folded over his chest. “I’ll just be sleeping over here ‘til then.”

Ryou snorts, secretly glad that at least nobody else has to endure Bakura’s behavior in the car, before letting himself be absorbed back into the movie.

It’s not long before he hears Bakura sit back up a bit, and Ryou hears the faint sound of the other’s leather jacket peeling off the back of the car seat. But still, he watches, ignoring the gradual feeling of being intently watched —

A small gasp escapes his lips as he feels Bakura’s fingers lightly trace over the back of his hand, and he looks over.

“B-Bakura…?”

Bakura is silent, flicking his eyes down for a moment as he lets his hand rest over the back of Ryou’s — but then he looks up, and, the vague look of uncertainty leaving his face, shifts his hand so that his fingers intertwine with the other’s.

Ryou feels his face flush, and, stammering, he turns away, head bowed down.

“No — Hey —”

“I — I am flattered, Bakura,” Ryou begins, not daring to look up. “B-But you are quite… mistaken.”

“Mistaken? The hell you mean by _that?_ ” Bakura asks, frowning, but not yet untangling his fingers from between Ryou’s.

Ryou feels his face burn with embarrassment at the thought of having to explain this yet again.

“B-Bakura, I… I am not — …I am a man.”

Only the sound of Iwanaga’s voice from the speakers breaks the silence.

“Y-You are… not the first person to confuse me for a woman,” Ryou continues on, trying hard to hide the shake in his voice. “A-And I am sorry if I made you think so, but I — I do not want to make you think I am trying to —”

He stops at the sound of Bakura’s faint laughter, and looks up.

“Wh-What?”

“You idiot,” Bakura chuckles, tilting his head a bit as he squeezes Ryou’s hand more tightly. “I _know_ you’re a guy. It ain’t that hard to figure out.”

Ryou blinks, then, stammering —

“Th-Then… why are you…?”

He doesn’t recoil as Bakura leans closer — close enough for Ryou to feel the other’s breath fall lightly on his lips.

“Guess I’ve always been a bit light in my boots,” he purrs before pressing his lips to Ryou’s.

Ryou shudders, hesitating for a brief moment before allowing himself to relax — to return the kiss, moaning lightly in response.

When Bakura pulls away a moment later, Ryou notices nothing but the faint grin on the other’s face, and how well their hands seem to fit together.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Suukarin: bakura picking up ryou like (at least, is becoming) usual_  
>  Prince Shotakura: "where are we meeting" becomes "when am I picking you up"  
> Suukarin: but instead of taking Ryou to do a thing right away  
> Suukarin: bakura finds some secluded place and parks the car  
> Suukarin: Ryou's like ???????????  
> Suukarin: and then bakura's like  
> Suukarin: "...okay look how serious are we both about us" 

“Look, all _I’m_ sayin’ is that I don’t _like_ just standing there, waitin’ for you to get out of class. Can’t really say I care for being glared at by all those rich white kids gettin’ out before you do.”

“I know… I can’t always know when the professor will be late in dismissing us, though. But… I do appreciate that you do that, Bakura.”

When Ryou gets little more than a non-committal grunt, he pauses, then, working himself up to speak in a teasing voice:

“It might not be so difficult for me to find you if you would use the same car to pick me up more than once~”

At this, Bakura snorts, sending a faint smirk Ryou’s way before his eyes return to the road. 

Ryou still feels tension in the air, and, though he keeps a small smile on his face for a moment, he soon slouches back in his seat and closes his eyes.

“Where are we going this time, Bakura?” he asks, the rumble of the road driving away any chance of a rest. “You usually at least give me a clue by now…”

Bakura is silent, but it isn’t long before he finally slows the car, taking a soft right before bringing it to a full stop.

Ryou opens his eyes again, but sees nothing but trees and tall grass around them still, surrounding what amounts to little more than a gravel parking area.

“…where are we?” he asks, reaching for the door handle —

“Hang on.”

Confused, Ryou looks over at Bakura, hand still loosely grabbing the handle.

He’s not used to seeing Bakura rubbing the back of his neck, lower lip pulled into his mouth for him to bite.

“Bakura? Is something—”

“Just — …gimme a minute, here.”

Slowly, Ryou pulls his hands back into his lap, leaning back against the seat once more. With some amusement, he watches as Bakura starts rubbing his neck with both hands, then exhales through his nose, all the while still biting his lip.

“…Ryou, I — …Ryou. Answer me honestly.”

He doesn’t expect to see so much nervousness in Bakura’s eyes when he finally looks over at Ryou.

“Do you actually _like_ hangin’ out with me?” he asks, wringing his hands as subtly as he can. “Or are you just goin’ along with it?”

Ryou blinks rapidly, then tilts his head, a confused frown creasing his face.

“Why do you ask that now, Bakura?” he asks.

“Just answer the question, Ryou.”

Ryou’s frown deepens, just a bit.

“I… thought it was obvious that I enjoy spending time with you,” he answers, keeping eye contact with Bakura. “Am I… making you think that I don’t?”

“Well… you got pretty hot an’ bothered when I mentioned taking back that old piece of junk your family drives unless you let me take you out again,” Bakura shrugs as some of his tension ebbs away. “…thought it might be part of the reason you put up with me.”

Ryou turns his head away, but doesn’t try to muffle his embarrassed giggle.

“Well… I do like ‘hanging out’ with you, Bakura,” he says, casting a shy smile sideways towards the other. “Even… just like this, I…”

Swallowing nervously, Ryou reaches out, sliding his hand into Bakura’s and lacing his fingers between the other’s.

“…I enjoy it very much,” he finishes, voice quiet.

He feels the silence that settles over them momentarily, and — for a few fleeting seconds — wonders if he’s crossed a line.

But then he hears Bakura’s chuckle, and feels the other’s hand tighten around his own, and looks back up.

“Well, good,” Bakura grins, eyes lighting up once more. “Because I like bein’ with you, Ryou. And I’d rather it not be ‘cause of some threat I made…”

His hand shifts against Ryou’s, and he turns it until their palms press together, their fingers slipping between one another’s.

“…and rather ‘cause you like bein’ with me, too,” he continues, his relieved grin giving way to a warm smile.

Ryou feels a warm blush rise to his face, and turns his head to hide it, but does nothing to pull his hand away.

It’s Bakura who, with another light chuckle, finally breaks the contact, instead reaching to put the car back in gear before turning it back around.

“…where are we going now, Bakura?” Ryou eventually asks, looking out the window as they drive back towards the city.

“Dunno. Can’t say I really care all that much, now,” Bakura shrugs, a wide grin still plastered on his face. “Wherever you wanna go, Ryou — how’s that sound?”

He doesn’t turn away from the window, but Ryou finds himself resting his hand over Bakura’s once more.

“That sounds wonderful,” Ryou finally answers, smiling brightly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Mara: You also absolutely need to have Ryou give in and when they need a ride home, and tkb is like "..... come on. You know you want to. Which one?"_   
> _Ryou: *covers face* ..... the blue one._   
> _TKB: The Ford? Oh yeah, I knew I liked you for a reason._

“You want me to _what?!_ ”

“ _Shh!_ Pipe down, will you?!”

Ryou bites his lip, then looks around, peering through the darkness.

“Why are you asking _me_ this?!” he hisses, the panicked look still in his eyes.

“’Cause I figure if we’re gonna take a car, it might as well be one _you_ like!” Bakura huffs, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his red leather jacket. “It ain’t like I _planned_ on the one we had earlier gettin’ hauled off. Now c’mon — it’s getting cold, and the longer we’re out here, the more likely we are to get caught.”

Ryou reaches up to claw at his own face, eyes still flitting about.

“You… you _promise_ we will only use it for tonight?” he asks, looking nervously up at Bakura.

“ _Yes,_ I promise,” Bakura groans, letting his head drop back in frustration for a moment before fixing his gaze back on Ryou. “I’ll put it right back where I found it after I drop you off. Cross my heart and all that crap. Now _pick_ one.”

He looks around nervously, gaze bouncing from car to car as though merely _looking_ at them was a crime, until —

“…th-that one,” he murmurs, briefly nodding his head towards a burnt-out streetlight across the road.

Bakura looks over, briefly squinting in the darkness, and lets his gaze linger on the car under the streetlight before he turns back to Ryou, a toothy grin on his face.

“The Fairlane?” he asks, his words taking the same bright tone as his expression.

“The… the blue one, yes,” Ryou stammers.

He doesn’t expect Bakura to lean in close, lips brushing against his ear.

“Wha—”

“I _knew_ I liked you for a reason,” Bakura purrs. “Goin’ straight after my heart, aren’t you?”

Ryou stammers, then covers his face, a bright red flush rising to his cheeks.

“J-Just go and make the car start, before I come to my senses,” he mumbles, turning away from Bakura.

Bakura chuckles, and Ryou hears him trot over to the car, whistling nonchalantly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Suukarin: i wanna write ryou waiting at school for bakura to pick him up_   
> _Suukarin: waiting and waiting until it gets dark_   
> _Suukarin: and he finally realizes Bakura isn't coming today_   
> _Suukarin: trying to console himself on the way home, like "I should have expected this from a criminal" but inside is really like "DD: "_

“You _sure_ you don’t want a ride home, Ryou? Really, it’s no skin off my nose to—”

“Thank you, but I am fine. My friend should be here any minute, now…”

Jou shrugs, denim jacket slung over his shoulder.

“If you’re sure, then,” he says, practically skipping down the front steps of the university and towards the gate. “Catch ya later, Ryou~”

Ryou’s smile fades as soon as Jou disappears from view, and he leans against the archway once more, biting his lip.

Bakura’s been so good about showing up right on time before — if not right when Ryou got out of class, then at least within the next few minutes. But if even Jou is leaving before Bakura shows up…

The sharp evening wind catches Ryou by surprise, and he shivers, crossing his arms.

_“I got a surprise for you for next time, Ryou. It’s a real doozy. But you better get out on time this time! We can’t afford to be late.”_

_Speak for yourself,_ he thinks glumly as, with great reluctance, he finally starts shuffling towards home. _Was it such a big surprise that you just forgot me here…?_

It isn’t until he’s halfway down the block, another cold breeze pushing his hair around, that Ryou realizes that this might be Bakura’s “surprise.”

_No._ He shakes his head at the thought, walking faster. _He would not do that. He always comes on time. He is kind, he is caring, he…_

“…is still a criminal,” Ryou murmurs to himself, standing still for a moment.

_And a very good liar when he wants to be,_ the voice in his mind points out. _Can you prove that this was not all just a trick from the very beginning?_

Ryou shakes, hands clenched tightly into fists, before he storms back down the sidewalk, looking down.

“Then good riddance to him, if that is what happened,” he grumbles to himself, head bowed down. “Let him make a fool of someone else, then.”

He still has to brush the tears from his eyes to see.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Suukarin: part two is him being woken up at 2 in the morning by someone throwing rocks at his window_   
> _Suukarin: which happens to be open so they hit him on his bed_   
> _Suukarin: and he gets up and looks out and there's bakura_   
> _Suukarin: turns out the cops were looking for him so he had to lie low, so does ryou still want to go on that date now?_   
> _Suukarin: ryou being like i have /class/ in 7 hours you idiot_   
> _Duchess Beaky: aww_   
> _Duchess Beaky: cell phones could've fixed this_

Ryou gasps, jerking upright in his bed as a single, sharp tap to his bedroom window pulls him from his sleep.

As the sleep starts to fade away, and he realizes just how late it still really is, Ryou groans, letting himself lay back down—

Until another, softer _thud_ finally prompts him to look by his window, and he notices the collection of small rocks lying on the floor.

“What on…?” Ryou mutters to himself, pushing back the covers and stumbling out of bed to more closely examine the rocks. “Where did these come from…?”

As the perplexed frown on his face deepens, he glances over at his window — just in time for another stone to fly through the open frame, hitting the ground and coming to rest near his feet.

With a frown, Ryou approaches the window, and looks down to see Bakura standing in the backyard, arm half-cocked to toss another stone.

“Bakura?!” he sputters, eyes wide. “Wh-What are you—”

“About time!” Bakura huffs, letting his arm relax. “Who the hell sleeps with their window open anymore, huh?”

Ryou’s shock vanishes, and he instead scowls down at Bakura, arms crossed.

“You have some nerve, showing up _now_ after you left me waiting!” he snaps.

“I know, I know — I’m sorry, alright?” Bakura answers, holding up his hands in response. “Just… come down here for a sec so I can explain—”

“I am not coming down there at this hour! I have to be up for class in _four hours,_ Bakura, so if you have something to say, come back later!”

Before Bakura can respond, Ryou slams the window shut, kicking the rocks away from the middle of the floor before nearly throwing himself back into bed.

He barely has time to pull the covers back over him and lay down before he hears something scraping along the wall of the house, and another sound at his window — this time, an almost-frantic knock. But it’s enough to make him throw the blankets back and, with an aggravated groan, storm back towards the window —

“What are you _doing?!_ ” he gasps, throwing the window back open.

“I… _told_ you… I want to apologize,” Bakura grunts, hoisting himself up so he can at least have his elbows on the windowsill, instead of dangling from the second-story window by his fingertips. “And I want you to know _why_ I didn’t show up earlier, ‘cause I sure as hell had planned on being there.”

Ryou hesitates, the hard look on his face softening.

“Ryou… please,” Bakura pleads, grip slipping a bit before he pulls himself halfway into Ryou’s room. “Five minutes. That’s _all_ I need, and then I’ll be on my way. Alright? Just… five minutes.”

Ryou is momentarily silent as Bakura pulls himself up enough to sit cross-legged on the windowsill, holding onto the wall with one hand to steady himself.

“…I waited for you for hours,” he finally murmurs, letting the hurt surface on his face.

“I wanted to be there,” Bakura replies, keeping eye contact with Ryou. “And I was all set to pick you up, too — ‘til some punk we know brought the heat back to us. I had to—”

“‘We’?” Ryou asks, confused. “And…. the ‘heat,’ what is that…?”

“Christ, you _are_ a goody two-shoes. My friends and I — we were on the run from the _cops,_ Ryou. Some dumbass was caught breakin’ into a white man’s house, and he brought ‘em right where we were hanging out — and I ain’t exactly keen on gettin’ my ass thrown in jail for something I didn’t do, you dig?”

“… I… I did not…”

As he stutters, Ryou feels an embarrassed flush rise to his face.

“…they would do that?” he finally brings himself to ask, his voice soft.

“The hell kind of — Ryou, I nearly got arrested once ‘cause I didn’t let a white man _cross the goddamn street_ when _I_ had the light, and you think they wouldn’t haul me in for somethin’ _worse_ than that if I gave ‘em the chance?”

Ryou covers his face with his hands, turning away from Bakura but still feeling the other’s scowl on his back.

“So… you were still hiding when I was done with class,” he finally says, voice muffled by his hands.

“Didn’t really think it’d be fair, getting’ you involved in a mess that’s got nothin’ to do with you,” Bakura nods, still slouched against the window frame. “Tell me you weren’t _really_ waiting for me that long…”

“I thought you were just late!” Ryou answers, trying to keep his voice down. “And you had never been absent before. I only finally came home because I thought that… that…”

Bakura notices the falter in Ryou’s words, and slowly turns, still sitting in the window but finally resting his feet on solid ground.

“…I thought it was some trick you were playing on me,” he finally admits, face still buried in his hands. “That… this was your way of leaving.”

“Ryou… Oh, Ryou. C’mere.”

Through his attempts to keep his sniffling at bay, Ryou turns back towards Bakura, shuffling over to lean against the wall beside him.

“I wouldn’t do that to you, Ryou,” Bakura murmurs, running his hand through Ryou’s hair. “I ain’t exactly a role model for good behavior, yeah, but I wouldn’t lead you on like that.”

“…I wasn’t sure,” Ryou mumbles, still not looking up.

“Hrm… well. Tell you what,” Bakura says, voice still soft. “Just in case this ever happens again… you wanna know how to tell that I ain’t just vanishing on you?”

Curious, Ryou nods, finally making eye contact with Bakura again.

Bakura smiles, reaching for Ryou’s hand and lightly tapping the other’s ring finger.

“I don’t let just anyone wear this ring, y’know,” he says, tracing his thumb over the finer details of the Ouroboros ring. “If I really’d been fed up with you, I’d have taken this back from you. Alright?”

For a moment, Ryou doesn’t respond, letting his hand rest against Bakura’s.

“…alright,” he finally nods, pulling his hand away. “I… am sorry for thinking the worst.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Bakura shrugs, his soft smile turning back into his usual grin. “Hell, if _I_ was in your shoes, I’d have taken those rocks I threw in your window and thrown ‘em right back.”

Ryou chuckles, his lips finally twisting into a smile once more.

“Alright… I do believe my five minutes are up,” Bakura declares, hands grabbing onto the windowsill to turn himself back around. “I gotta take care of some business the next couple days, but I’ll see you on Friday, yeah?”

“Bakura, why not just use the door…? My host parents are asleep, they—”

“What, and get caught walkin’ out of a white man’s house? Your window doesn’t face the street, and I’ve had enough of runnin’ from cops for today, Ryou.”

“Oh… I suppose that’s fair enough…”

Bakura looks back at Ryou, and his gaze lingers on the other for a moment.

“I won’t be late next time,” he finally says, as he carefully slides out the window and down into the yard below.

Ryou looks out the window, half-expecting to see Bakura laying sprawled on the ground, but instead finds the other rising to his feet, stumbling only a few steps before quickly disappearing into the darkness.

“…I hope so,” Ryou murmurs to himself, closing the window before finally returning to his bed.


	8. Chapter 8

“Hey now, I came here on time this time, didn’t I?”

“I just thought that you would come in a car, like you always do, Bakura.”

Bakura snorts as he leads Ryou down a winding sidewalk, away from the campus.

“What, am I your chauffeur now?” he asks, giving Ryou a sideways glance. “Walkin’ with a lowlife like me too good for ya now, Ryou?”

“I did not say I minded walking with you!” Ryou huffs. “I quite enjoy it, actually. It’s just… You always meet me at my school in a car. I did not expect to see you standing alone.”

“Yeah, well… After earlier this week, that shouldn’t be such a surprise, yeah?” Bakura shrugs, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his red leather jacket. “I ain’t exactly keen to have any… _misunderstandings_ with the cops anytime soon.”

Ryou nods, letting his gaze shift back towards the path in front of him and away from Bakura’s face.

“… Besides, the one I brought today is special. And I don’t trust those idiots at your school not to hit us, so—”

“Special?”

Bakura notices the way Ryou perks up and looks at him again, inquisitively.

“What do you mean, ‘special?’” he asks, a little more spring in his step.

“Oh ho~ Got you excited now, did I?” Bakura chuckles, lips twisting to a sly grin. “Well, I don’t wanna spoil the surprise for you, so you’re just gonna have to wait~”

Ryou pouts at Bakura, hands shoved deep into his pockets, but all his expression does is make the other laugh more.

“ _Relax,_ Ryou,” he finally says, nodding to something just down the block. “We’re almost there, anyway. In fact, there it is, right there.”

“Oh? Which one?”

Distracted from his pouting, Ryou cranes his neck to try and see which car Bakura could possibly be talking about.

“C’mon, ain’t it obvious?”

“It would be _more_ obvious if you would come with the same car every time…”

“You’re killin’ me here, Ryou, it’s — no, you’re lookin’ too far down, it’s right — right _here._ ”

Exasperated by Ryou’s ineffective searching, Bakura reaches up and Ryou’s chin with one hand, turning his head towards the right car — now only two vehicles away from them.

“…the red one?” Ryou asks, brow furrowing.

“That’s the one,” Bakura nods, a proud grin on his face as he reaches for the keys in his pocket. “I’m kinda surprised you didn’t notice it sooner, Ryou.”

“…well,” Ryou begins, the frown deepening on his face, “I would have thought that if you were hiding from the police, you would pick something less… obvious… But I suppose whoever you took it from is probably thanking you right now — hey!”

Ryou almost stumbles forward as Bakura whacks him upside the head.

“I’ll put up with a lotta shit, Ryou,” Bakura huffs, keys clenched tightly in his other hand. “But if you’re gonna make fun of my baby, then we’re gonna have a problem, got it?”

“Your ‘baby’…?”

As Bakura approaches the car, unlocking the passenger door first as he usually does, the cloud of confusion suddenly lifts from Ryou’s face.

“This is… _your_ car?” he asks, eyes wide as he slowly steps closer.

“Mmhm,” Bakura nods, the proud grin from before plastered on his face once more. 

“… _your_ car.”

“Paid off, title’s in my name, the whole bit.”

“…you _bought_ this with _your_ money?”

“You keep that up, I’m gonna make you walk anyway,” Bakura huffs as a look of annoyance briefly flashes across his face. 

“S-Sorry,” Ryou stammers, bowing his head. “I-I don’t mean to be rude. Just…”

“Aah, don’t worry ‘bout it too much. I’d probably ask me the same thing. Just get in already, yeah?”

Nodding, Ryou quickly climbs in, taking a moment to appreciate the immaculate interior as Bakura walks around to the driver’s side.

“You take… very good care of your car,” Ryou finally says.

“Thought you knew by now, Ryou,” Bakura chuckles, key in the ignition before he even shuts the door. “I take care of the things I think are important. Now buckle up already, before we’re late.”

Ryou complies, and as the buckle clicks into place, Bakura makes the car roar to life, and quickly pulls out into the minimal traffic.


End file.
